New policy expands paid family leave for Franklin County employees
The Franklin County commissioners expand a new policy to ensure all county employees receive paid family leave, a major step toward increases in gender and racial equity.
The new policy is an extension of the commissioners' Paid Family and Medical Leave put in place last year. The expansion went into effect at the beginning of the year and allows county workers to take up to eight weeks of paid leave for events such as childbirth, adoption, care for seriously ill family members, quarantine and for treatment due to COVID-19.
The previous policy, made permanent in 2020, was limited to two weeks per year and was required to be taken all at once, as opposed to intermittent use for caregiving purposes. Commission spokeswoman Jodi Andes said the policy's expansion provides more flexibility for the county's nearly 1,400 employees.
Andes said there's no estimated cost for the revised policy.
“This is a significant benefit for our employees, which is being introduced during one of the toughest eras American workers have had to face,” Commissioner Kevin Boyce said in a news release. “This benefit, which is standard in every other industrialized country, is the right thing to do.”
According to the news release, research has shown that family leave supports better health for employees and their families, which provides long-term savings to healthcare costs. Similar policies also advance gender and racial equity by allowing workers to leave their jobs in order to care for their families.
Nearly a quarter of American mothers return to work 10 days after childbirth, and one in six Americans spends an average of 20 hours a week caring for an elderly or sick family member, according to PL + US, an organization that supports paid leave in the United States.
"Our commitment to serving every resident, every day starts at home,” Commissioner Marilyn Brown said in the prepared statement. “Until there is a national standard for paid family leave, we need more employers to step up and support their employees.”
A 2019 study from the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. found that family leave provides greater equity for women and people of color, with women far more likely to adjust their careers around children.
The county expects the expanded policy to improve economic security to those in service or other low-paying industries. With this move, the commissioners also anticipate long-term benefits with the recruitment and retention of county staff.
“We believe we have an outstanding team of Franklin County employees and we want to make sure they continue providing the best service to residents. A benefit like family leave will not only help us remain competitive, it is also likely to be a great recruiting tool,” Commissioner John O’Grady said in the release.